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ramen-san.

on the same day as our trip to handlebar, josh & i also met a few friends (hi, carly & joelle!) for dinner at one of lettuce entertain you's newest restaurants ... ramen-san, a ramen (obviously) joint in river north.

what is ramen-san all about, you ask? well : "ramen-san is a lively, neighborhood restaurant & bar in river north reminiscent of traditional ramen shops in japan. the space is raw, anchored by exposed brick & reclaimed wood, which makes for an understated, yet inviting ambiance." faboosh!
but that's not the only reason we decided to eat hot soup on a 80+ degree, 100% humidity (yea, it was raining) day ... we also went because our favorite server in all of chicago is now working there! HOLA, ilana! guys, if you go to ramen-san, you should definitely ask to be in her section.
anyway, here's what i had ...

salad-san :

carrot-ginger dressing.
your basic asian salad ... but the carrot-ginger dressing was somehow more tasty than most other carrot-ginger dressings out there.

shiitake :

no shiitakes! mushroom broth, tofu, cabbage & veggies.ramen-less ramen.
okay, as you see -- here's where things took a turn. the noodles at ramen-san are NOT vegan ... that means, no noodles for us, substitute extra cabbage.

hmm. i have a couple of issues with this ... 1. is that lettuce restaurants are usually so so so so so good about accommodating dietary needs! the noodles they offer aren't vegan, but they also aren't gluten-free ... so a lot of people actually can't eat the ramen. 2. is that the ramen-san shiitake broth is on the saltier side, so without any noodles to balance that out ... let's just say i was super thirsty all night after dinner.

so ramen-less ramen ... does this mean i won't go back to ramen-san? yes & no ... if they get some vegan noodles, i'd definitely try it again. until then, guys -- i suggest slurping turtle or wasabi. sorry, ramen-san!!